Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-07-08
q Battery Drill at West Point.
5a OF all the drills and exercises IN

OF ell the drills and exercises 10
which the cadet excels he is at his
best in those Of the mounted ser vice.
Daring horsenlen are the Youngsters
alter two years practice il the riding
hal, and light battery drill is q. fan-
Gus place for exhibition. Watch the /
boys as they 60 to their stations.
The seniors, IN their riding dress,
gauntlets, and calvary sabres, swing
easily into the saddles Of the some
what viciouszl ooking steeds that are. ]
held in readiness for them, adjust
their stirrups take a preliminary and
surreptitious dig with their spurred /
heels to test the mettle OF their nags,
then CHATTER off to their post to look
over the horses and drivers of their
detachme1lts. The yearlings in their
natty shell jackets stand ready at the
guns; the bugle blares the signal team
noneers mounts" and, like SO many
agile monkeys, they spring to
their seats on the ammuni-
tion chests, and with another
bngle blast, and humble Of hoof
and wheel and clink OF trunnion, away
goes the battery down the gravelIy
plain. There are a few preliminary
moves to warm them up to their
work; the battery commander, q
young artillery officer who knows his
trade, swings then two and fro, faster
and faster, from one formation to
other-column, line, and battery
and then, as though ordered to check
a ri <Nf
the heights and give him canister at
short range, with cracking whips and
plunging steeds and rattle and roar OF
shoof and wheel, and horse-throated
commands and stirring bugle peals,
up the plain they come at tearing gall
lop until opposite the crowd OF spec
tators at the guard tents, when there
is q short. sudden blast. a si1nulta-
Ineous shout from the "chiefs,'' a Wis
ion of rearing horses us the lieuten~
ants and sergeants halt short on
line with the brilliant guidon-
generally the most picturesque horse
man Of the warlike throng, and always
posted on the flank nearest the la
dies--a flash Of sabres in the air,
sudden ''rein I'M OF the line of cais-
sons, and gradual settle down to q
stand, long before which, nimble as
cats, the cannoneers have sprung from
their seats, and are streakingitacrOss
the gap to where the chiefs are seated
On their excited chargers. Around
sweep the guns with sudden swirl that
well-nigh capsizes tbem-the three
youngsters on each timber seemingly
hanging on as though seated on stick
Jy,C ,,1n c$N
bang OF pintle-hooks, hoarse shouts of
"Drlve on" to the gun teams; gray
and white forms leap and sway in and
and out among the wheels; sponges
and ranmers whirl in air; there is q
belch Of flame, smoke, and thunder
cloud, believing roar; another, an
other-half a dozen in quick success
sion; a thick, sulphurous haze settles
down on the plain and envelopes guns
and gunners; and suddenly comes an
other blare OF bugle. "Cease
firing is the shout, and
the mimic scene of Buena Vista is
over. Even before the smoke has
cleared away another order is given,
with prompt, exciting response, pluns
ingIhorses, cracking whips, a rush Of
teams, limbers, and caissons between
the black muzzles OF the guns, sud-
den whirl about of wheels and hand
spikes, and the next instant smoke
and flame are belching in thunder
c]aps over the very ground where
stood the waiting teams only mo-
ment before. Then comes still anotb-
er signal, a SLOWING away OF hand
spikes and hammers, rapid rein
about OF the Timber teams, another
blaze, and away they go, the white
legs Of the cannoneers flashing in Il
race beside their bounding guns; rush
across the road to the edge OF the
grassy level beyond, another sudden
whirl into battery, laundering sa-
lutte to the rocky heights to the west,
an echolng roar from the great Col
umbiads and PARROTS at the "sea-
coast down by the Hudson, and the
Point fairly trembles with the shock
and conclusion. There is no hour OF
the day to match the excitement and
elan OF that of battery drill.-Capt
Charles King, in Harper's Magazine.